The Cabinet, on Wednesday approved revision of Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP) in which a new component Pashu Aushadhi has been added, under which ₹75 crore will be spent by March 31, 2026 to make veterinary medicines affordable with a focus on their generic types.
However, considering the cattle population of 19.25 crore (as per last Census) and the size of veterinary medicines and feed supplements at about ₹6,000 crore, the fund allocation is too little to make an impact, experts said.
India is home to approximately 30.38 crore bovines, including cattle, buffalo, mithun and yak, according to 20th Livestock Census of 2019. The next Livestock Census was conducted between October 2024 and February 2025, and its data may be released later this year.
Addressing media after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “A decision related to livestock health has been taken in the Cabinet. High-quality medicines will be provided under the Pashu Aushadhi component of the (LHDCP) scheme.”
The total budget provided for the LHDCP scheme was ₹3,880 crore for 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Stressing that Pashu Aushadi would be similar to Jan Aushadi Yojana, in which generic medicines are sold at 50-80 per cent cheaper rates than branded drugs for human population, Vaishnaw said the generic veterinary medicines will be distributed through Cooperatives and PM Kisan Samridhi Kendras, where fertilisers and other agri inputs are sold.
Traditional knowledge
He also said that traditional knowledge of veterinary medicines will be revived and documented as part of the scheme.
After the revision, the LHDCP scheme will have three components – National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP), Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH&DC) and Pashu Aushadhi.
The LH&DC, which has three sub-components such as Critical Animal Disease Control Programme (CADCP), Establishment and Strengthening of existing Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries – Mobile Veterinary Unit (ESVHD-MVU) and Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD), focuses on the prevention of diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), Lumpy Skin Disease, through immunization. It also supports door-step delivery of livestock health care and improving the availability of generic veterinary medicine.
Further, the minister informed that nine States — Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra — are ready to be declared as FMD-free zones.
As India is the world’s largest milk producer, after becoming FMD-free and also having a systematic and well-documented vaccination programme will help in the export of milk and milk products in a significant way and improve farmers’ income, he said. The LHDCP helps in the prevention and control of livestock diseases through vaccination, surveillance and upgradation of healthcare facilities, he added.
“Considering minimum 10 per cent retailer margin if allowed, less than ₹500 crore of medicines could be sold in a year as per the fund allocation of ₹75 crore per year since transport and other costs of the companies are also to be factored into the overall expenditure,” said an industry expert.